Split wood shingle



March 23 ,1926. 1,577,935

' J. C. RUNKLE SPLIT WOOD SHINGLE Filed Jan. 4, 1926 jvvei? for',

M am [n1 MM i Patented Mar. 23, 191,26.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. RUNKLE, O CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPLIT WOOD SHINGLE.

` l Application ledanuary 4, 1926. Serial No. 79,060.

To all (whom, z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. RUNKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex/ and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Split Wood Shingles, of

which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to wood shingles and has particular reference to split shingles.

A split shingle is' formed by splitting, as contrasted with sawing, a shake or slab `having the thickness of the shingle from a bolt of wood of suitable length. The op osite faces of the shakeV are rough, due to eing split or torn from the bolt; and it is this.

rough appearance which is highly desiredin a shingle of this type inasmuch as the rough surface of the shingle is considered to impart an artistic eil'ect tothe roof or other surface on which the split shingles are laid. The shake usually is of approximately uniform thickness, while the shingle must be tapered. The shake is, therefore, formed into a ta pered shingle by shaving material olf both sides of the shake so that the shingle tapers on both sides. By this practice, the shaved surfaceextends over a relatively great extent of the entire face of the shingle and, consequently, the major part of the desirable rough, or split, appearance is removed.

It is quite common practice, with sawed shingles, to vary the amount of exposure, or overlap, of the shingles .of successive courses, or even of the shingles in any one course, for the purpose 'of imparting an artistic effect to the roof. This practice can not be 'carried out to any extensive degree with the usual split shingle for the reason that'the amount of exposure can not be increased sufficiently for the purpose without exposing a considerable extent of the shaved portion ofthe shingle. The shaved face presents an unsightly contrast with .the rough split surface of the shingle and so detractsfrom the artistic effect intended.

It is one of the objects of this invention, therefore, `to provide a uniformly-tapered split shingle the entire upper face of which presents'a uniform s lit or rough surface,

4 from the butt to the e ge, so that the amount of overlap of such shingles may be varied at x the split rough surface.

It is well known that the under sides of wood shingles, as laid on a roof, should be ventilated so that water which collects there may run olf or evaporate quickly. Otherwise, the water is absorbedz by the shingles, causing them to decay rapidly. With the usual type of split shingle, the superimposed shinglesmay make a direct and close Contact with each other, since bot-h faces of the shingle are shaved to provide the shingle with thenecessary taper. Water colle'ctsin the junction between two superimposed shingles and is retained therein by capillary action, and cannot run o' or evaporate readily, but is absorbed in the pores ofthe shingle.

It is a further object. of this invention, therefore, to provide a split Shingle of such character that when the shingles are laid on will without exposing any surface other than a roof, air pockets or ducts in free communication with the atmosphere are provided between and beneath4 the superimposed shingles, whereby moisture which collects between and beneath the shingles can run oli' and evaporate readily and before any material amount of moisture can be absorbed and-thereby retained by the wood.

A further object of the invention is to provide a split shingle with an upper face which is split in such a way with relation to the grain .of the wood that a plurality of narrow longitudinally-arranged channels are :provided which serve to guide the water to run oil' the shingle in the direction of the length of the shingle, thereby to prel vent a large portion of the Water from running laterally across the shingle and into the space between two adjacent shingles.

I obtain all of the above objects of my invention in 'a shingle prepared from a shake which is split from the bolt in such a manner that the split faces of the shake are mainly perpendicular to, or. lie across, the grain or year rings of the wood. As thus arranged, the grain ,of the woodv in the shingle is on edge with the split face Vof the shingle andthe grain runs lengthl wise of the wood. The wood splits irregularly across the year rings. so that there are a plurality of alternate and parallel ridges and channels between the year rings, which ridges and channels extend lengthwise of the shingle.

The shingle is provided with a smooth bottom face and is tapered uniformly from the butt to the edge, material being removed from the shingles only "from the bottom face thereof, to provide the neces-l sary taper so that the upper surface is rough o r presents a so-called split appearance throughout its entire upper face, while the bottom face is smooth and plane.

Since the entire rough Vsplit upper face of the shingle is retained intact, the amount of exposure of the superimposed shingles can be varied, without restriction.

When such shingles are placed on a roof,

the smooth and plane bottom face of an,

upper shingle is adapted t6 lie upon and over the`roughgsplit face, or the ridges and channels, of the next lower shingle; and the ridges and channels, in combination with the smooth face, provide a plurality of `longitudinally-extended Ventilating ducts which lie between the shingles and thereby permit the rapid escape and evaporation of moisture from between the superimposed shingles.

A further object is generally to improve the construction and extend the field of use of split wood shingles.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a split shingle embodymg my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of a roof on which the shingles are applied.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail along line '3--3 of Fig. 2 and illustratingthe manner in which the edge-grain of the rough .face of one shingle cooperates with the smooth lower face of a superposed shingle to provide Ventilating' ducts between the superposed shingles.

Fig. 4C is a side view of a shake or slab of wood from which the shingles are taken..

The split shingle embodyingl this invention is taken from a shake or slab a of wood, Fig. 4, which has been split from a bolt, or section of a tree trunk, in such a way that the opposite side faces b and c are approximately at right angles with the grain or year'rings d of the bolt as is best illustrated in Fig. 1. The year rings are thus arranged on edge as Aregards he opposite board faces of the slab and the shingles formed from the slab. Since the A faces b and c are split on torn from the on the faces of the shingles.

bolt of wood, the surfaces are rough and are -provided with a plurality of alternate ribs or projections e and channels or depressions f, which ribs and channels are formed by and represent the edges of the year rings These ribs and channels are approximately parallel with each other and cover the entire extent of the broad faces of the slab and the shingles formed therefrom.

The shingles are tapered uniformly from one to the other and are given 'a smooth and plane bottom face by sawing the slab a diagonally from one corner to the other thereof or along the line w-w `By this method of cutting, two shingles are formed laid on a roof 10 as illustrated in Fig. 2

and the amount of exposure of the shingles in the separate courses 11, 12, and 13 can be varied at will so that, if desired, the entire length of the shingle can be exposed, without exposing other than the split face of the shingles. The smooth and planebottom face 'h of an up er shingle 1s laid over and rests upon t e tops of the ribs or projections e of the next lower shingle and covers over the channels f which lie between the ribs e. Said channels f thereby provide ducts which are in free communication with the atmosphere at the edge of the upper shingle. Consequently, any moisture which runs in between the two shingles can readily escape by way 'of the channels f and air has access into the space between the two shingles, by wa of said channels so that moisture can readily evaporate before any material amount of it can be absorbed by the shingles, whereby to prevent them from/ decaying rapidly. The overlapping of the shingles in the successive courses-may also form pockets 14; between fthe shingles and the roof 10. The ducts formed by the channels f are in free communication with these pockets and consequently Ventilate them freely. The ribs .e`

and channels f are parallel with the length of the shingle and so provide a plurality of longitudinally-arranged channels down which the water may' flow.- These guide channels also prevent the water from running down and laterally across the shingle and entering the spaces 15 between adjacent shingles in the same course, whereby to prevent a large amount of water from accumulating and. being retained in these spaces. v

I claim:

1. A uniformly-tapered split wood shingle having a smooth and plane bottom face andan upper face which presents a split or rough appearance throughout its entire extent.

2. A uniformly-tapered split wood shinglel rough appearance throughout its entire exy tent, the grain of the wood in the shingle being on edge with the split or rough face and extended lengthwise of the shingle.

3. A uniformly-tapered split wood shingle 5 having a smooth and plane bottom face and an upper face which presents a split or rough appearance throughout its entire eX- tent, the grain of the wood in the shingle being on edge withI the split or rough face and extended lengthwise of the shingle, and l0 the edge-grain providing a plurality of longitudinally-arranged ribs and channels in the split or rough face of the shingle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed m'y name to this specication.

JOHN C. RUNKLE. 

